SACRAMENTO — Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) released the following statement after Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his 2020 State of the State address:
“I was glad to hear Governor Gavin Newsom devote so much of his State of the State speech to homelessness and glad that he recognizes that our most intransigent problem is one that we will not conquer with solutions on any single front.
I liked his recognition that health and homelessness are intertwined. This is not just the stereotype that people without housing are mentally ill or have problems tied to substance abuse. It is the knowledge that poor physical health and high health care costs can drive people into homelessness. It is the knowledge that not having a roof over your head has serious health consequences.
We must deal with the two issues together.
The Governor has put out budget proposals on this topic and we take them very seriously. Today, we will hold our second Assembly hearing on those ideas.
We have worked well together in the past, with the Governor signing 18 of our legislative housing initiatives. We have set aside $7 billion for housing solutions in recent years.
However, when the Governor refers to the need for “bold, permanent solutions,” I know that those solutions go beyond the necessary dollars for housing, mental health, planning and social services.
This country has a dramatic problem of economic inequality that has grown for decades. Homelessness, as the Governor said, is a manifestation of poverty. To me, that means that Californians will continue to lose their housing and will be unable to find new affordable housing, unless we can do something to make sure California workers get their fair share of the wealth that they produce.
They are the drivers of our economy. We must make sure they are protected.
I look forward to working with Governor Newsom to fight homelessness on every front.”
Website of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon: a62.asmdc.org
CONTACT: Katie Talbot, (916) 319-2063